Lincolnshire villages fit Wi-Fi aerials to chimneys

Wi-Fi aerials are to be fitted to chimneys on around 30 village halls in Lincolnshire in a bid to improve broadband connections.

West Lindsey District Council said it hopes the move will provide the villages with download speeds similar to those in urban areas, BBC News reports.

The system is largely aimed at improving internet access in the halls themselves, but businesses and residents could benefit if they are within range of the signal.

Councillor Burt Keimach, leader of West Lindsey District Council, commented: "We have listened to our communities and they are telling us poor internet connection is a big issue.

"Improving access to high-speed broadband will help support community activity, encourage people to pay their bills online and improve communication through emails and social media."

It is expected that the service will provide download speeds of up to 20 Mbps, which is 40 times faster than what village residents are used to.

Broadband in these areas can be so slow that in 2010 a pigeon carrying a computer memory card between Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire proved to be faster than a rural computer uploading a five minute video to the web.

The race was carried out to highlight just how poor connections in some villages are.

Earlier this year, the village of Ufford in Suffolk attached an aerial to a church roof to try to improve broadband services in the area.

It was installed at St Mary of the Assumption as several small businesses in the village were affected by slow connection speeds.

Speaking at the time, Jan Purcell, a churchwarden in Ufford, told the East Anglian Daily Times: "This will mean a lot faster broadband for the community, the broadband speed is pretty hopeless at the moment."

Satellite broadband is one of the best ways to improve internet access in rural areas. It can provide speeds of up to 20 Mbps and location does not affect the quality of the connection as it is provided by a satellite in space rather than phone lines or underground cables.